Spanish Ex-Judge to Lead Assange Defense

By

David Román

July 25, 2012 3:26 p.m. ET

MADRID—Spain's former judge Baltasar Garzón, who energized the global human-rights movement with his attempted prosecution of former Chile strongman Augusto Pinochet, will lead the legal team representing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, the website said Wednesday.

Mr. Garzón, 56 years old, was recently banned from practicing as an investigative judge, whose job is similar to that of a U.S. district attorney, on grounds that he violated confidential lawyer-client communications during a corruption probe. The...